Quitline

Smoking cessation quitlines

Tobacco quitlines have proven to be comparable to cessation clinics in terms of proportion of smokers smoke-free at follow-up but are more cost effective. A 2008 meta-analysis by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, found that quitline counseling increased the estimated long-run (>6 months) abstinence rate to 12.7% compared to 8.5% of smokers attempting to quit on their own; when combined with medication, the estimated long-run abstinence rate increased to 28.1% compared to 23.2% for just medication alone, a "robust effect".

The treatment protocol in most tobacco cessation quitlines is a mixture of motivational interviewing, behaviour therapy, and pharmacological consultation. Quitline numbers are printed on cigarette packages in several countries as a part of the health warning labels. Tobacco quitlines may offer a reactive service, meaning that counselors initiate no contact but clients signing up for support are encouraged to call the service whenever they need, or a proactive service where clients signing up for treatment are offered a call up service. Many quitlines offer both reactive and proactive treatments and leave it up to the client to choose.